I was struggling to find a subject for today’s blog until I went out for my daily walk and found three plants in bloom that I hadn’t expected to see, especially after our recent very cold weather.

Alexanders (Smyrnium olusatrum) thrives in my coastal location and, though it does die back in the colder weather, it comes away again very quickly. Still, I hadn’t expected to find flowers quite as early as January.

The same is true of Three-cornered leek (Allium triquetrum). The leaves begin growing in early winter but flowers don’t normally appear until spring, in early April.

And this third plant is Hazel. The male catkins often open early, sometimes as early as December, but, in my experience, the female flowers don’t poke their vibrant pink ‘feelers’ until a bit later … yet here they are, in mid January.